Category: 2024 Blog

Cat Links Lecture 7: Monsters, Materials & Skyscrapers, Uncategorized

[Reading Response] : ‘Oh No, There Goes Tokyo’ by William M. Tsutsui

Posted on adrianyg

“Oh No, There Goes Tokyo ” dives into the many different movie scenarios that see the destruction of Tokyo from various different causes, such as natural disasters, monsters, viruses just to name a few. The Author uniquely views the dismantling of Tokyo through various means as beneficial towards Tokyo and her citizens. The author uses Godzilla and the animated movie Akira as examples to illustrate his perspective of Tokyo and her inhabitants being more united during and after disaster (Godzilla) and the redevelopment into something newer and better (Akira). I couldn’t help but draw a comparison to Hong Kong, which

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Cat Links 2024 Blog, Lecture 7: Monsters, Materials & Skyscrapers

[READING RESPONSE] WILLIAM M. TSUTSUI: OH NO, THERE GOES TOKYO

Posted on SONG YIQUN

The article mentions that Japan’s cultural make-up and ideology are influenced by history and war. Japanese popular culture is filled with the darkness and pessimism of apocalyptic imagery, and people are obsessed with scenes of urban destruction and fantasies of rebuilding a peaceful landscape after that. Depictions of the apocalypse appear in many Japanese films, such as the movie Godzilla, spawned by the Japanese people’s fear of nuclear strike, which focuses the world’s conflict on a fantastical creature mutated by nuclear radiation, whose death symbolizes the demise of the threat and the establishment of a new order. The Tokyo city

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Cat Links 2024 Blog, Lecture 8: Sci-Fi Technoscapes

[Reading Response]: The Imaginary Real World of Cybercities by M. Christine Boyer

Posted on u3612679

This article discusses the impact that the emergence of the concept of the cybercity, which links architectural theory to the computer-constructed information matrix, will have on postmodern architectural theory. The profound change from the modern to the postmodern, from the machine age to the information age, will undoubtedly bring about a profound change in architectural philosophy. If modernist architecture is a tool for regulating the space of human social life and activity in the machine age, an analytical space oriented towards efficiency and discipline, then the cybercity may influence the development of postmodern architecture in a direction that is even

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Cat Links Lecture 6: Housing Stories, Uncategorized

[Reading Response2] Communal After-Living: Asian Ghosts and the City

Posted on u3610011

This article introduces three themes of Asian“apartment horror” films. The concept of “living ghost” constantly appears in the second theme. It mirrors the loneliness of both living beings and ghosts, which satirizes the gradual separation of social relations as well as the housing problems (the coffin homes) caused by capitalism. I feel that we are gradually moving toward the lifestyle of a “living ghost” as we grow up. We were vibrant and enjoyed close friendships during school time, but such feelings and relationships faded when growing up and becoming exposed to cutthroat capitalism. It’s also ironic how the indifferent society

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Cat Links Lecture 6: Housing Stories

[Reading Response] Communal After-Living: Asian Ghosts and the City – Hou Jia Ning 3036268139

Posted on u3626813

Unlike the gory violence of Western horror movies, Asian ghosts are characterized more by religion, loneliness, and the cycle of cause and effect, and ghosts are used as a reflection of human nature and social issues. The Hong Kong horror films mentioned in this article resonate very much with me. The core of Hong Kong horror films is the folkloric horror that strikes at the heart of the soul – the dark side of a bustling city, with many scenes set in dilapidated residential buildings, giving the viewer a strong sense of familiarity and yet unknown fear. The house I’m

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Cat Links Lecture 6: Housing Stories

[Reading Response] Communal After-Living: Asian Ghosts and the City- Wang Qinghui, Charlotte

Posted on qh1106

This article provides an in-depth discussion of different themes in Asian horror cinema, and the films represent different socio-cultural contexts and urban culture and economy. Asian ghost narratives are concerned with depicting the complex relationship between the living and the dead. This has largely characterized the production of ghost films in Hong Kong and Taiwan, places that are culturally part of China and escaped CCP repression. The dark side of Hong Kong’s financial prosperity is often revealed in those films set in the city, and their view of Hong Kong is generally one of too many people and too little

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Cat Links 2024 Blog

[Reading Response] The Imaginary Real World of CyberCities- So Yau Ting Justin

Posted on soyau

With the proliferation of technology, social media has become an individual part of our lives. The main idea of the article was to examine how film and other media represent and affect our perceptions of the world. In fact, the constructed imaginary world in the film or media is truly dominating people’s imagination and impacting society. On the one hand, the incorrect perceptions of the imaginary world and the reality will create a sense of unevenness for citizens and result in the loss of sense of living satisfaction. On the other hand, social media and film are unifying people around

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Cat Links 2024 Blog

[Reading Response] – Communal After-Living: Asian Ghosts and the City by Katarzyna Ancuta

Posted on u3627529

In this article, Ancuta explores the relationships between ghosts and humans in Asian cities, as well as the three major themes in Asian ‘apartment horror’ films. These themes include the coexistence of ghosts and the living in a contiguous community, the alienation and fear of loneliness in modern urban lifestyles, and the representation of ghosts as symbols of failed economic dreams that drive rural populations to migrate to cities. I want to focus on the loneliness in modern urban lifestyles because it is more relevant to Hong Kong now. Ancuta mentions that the loneliness that the ghosts feel in movies

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Cat Links 2024 Blog, Lecture 7: Monsters, Materials & Skyscrapers, Uncategorized

[Reading Response] William M. Tsutsui

Posted on u3618176

Oh No, There Goes Tokyo looks into the Japanese obsession with the fictional destruction of their own cities in various mediums such as films, anime or manga. According to the author, a lot of this stems from post-war anxiety of an imminent bombing. The events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki towards the end of the war have had such an impact on Japan’s subconscious, leading many creatives to infuse personal trauma into their work. Thus, the art produced could be interpreted as both a reminder for the old and an optimistic view towards the future for the young. The theme of

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Cat Links 2024 Blog, Lecture 6: Housing Stories

[Reading Response 2] Esther M. K. Cheung: In Search of the Ghostly in Context — Ye Tsz Yu

Posted on u3607570

As Cheung addresses the depiction of the ghostly city and the demonstration of defamiliarization, I will respond to how the close relationship between them is shown in films. Avery Gordon defines a ghostly city as a location where ghosts gather. I believe that “ghosts” refer to Hong Kong residents who lack authority over the city and are uncertain about the future due to historical reasons. Fruit Chan’s film attempted to investigate Hong Kong via discussions of social issues, rather than focusing on its positive aspects as an international city with amazing views. Since public housing estates are essentially the physical

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